


And this is the wonder keeping the stars apart

by orphan_account



Category: Nashville (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 16:38:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1096189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas on the road has always been a comfort to Juliette, but she never had someone to miss before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And this is the wonder keeping the stars apart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [abbichicken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbichicken/gifts).



There was always a comfort to Christmas on the road.   
In years gone past, when Juliette was just starting out, when she was still just a girl running away from home, she relished it.  
Here on the road were all the things she had dreamt of having as a child.  
Here were twinkling lights and fresh spruce smelling trees and cookies and eggnog and gifts wherever she went. The record company made an effort to keep her hotel rooms stocked, each new port of call more luxurious than the last.   
Christmas at home had never meant anything more than envy. Making up stories to tell classmates of presents she had never received. Meant the pain was that much starker against the bright glowing backdrop of everyone else’s festive spirit.  
The roadies and various managers used to complain of course, but the words never rung true to her. What could be better than being here? Flitting in and out of towns, a dozen Christmases wrapped into one.   
But now she knew there was no such thing. Now she knew that one real Christmas meant more than a dozen or a hundred or a thousand ones where she was just standing at the window looking in.  
Their first Christmas together Juliette had surprised Scarlett with a luxury trip to St. Bart’s. She’d been hurt when Scarlett seemed to reject them, only realizing later that Scarlett hadn’t planned on leaving her all alone but instead took her home to meet her family.  
Juliette thought back to those nights at Scartlett’s parents’ house, tucked up close in the single bed in her old room, Scarlett moving against her shyly under the soft comforter.   
Afterwards they’d lain there side by side and looked up at Scarlett’s ceiling, at the dozens of glow in the dark stars glued in a star pattern.   
Lying on her back in the dark now, Juliette wished she could be back in that room.  
But they were both on tour, on opposite coasts, and back East Scarlett was likely already fast asleep.   
Juliette had tried to call her before midnight, but her phone probably didn’t have a signal. She’d sent her a message instead, thanking her for the gift that had been waiting in her room when she got back.   
It had been wrapped by Scarlett herself, and Juliette felt her heart swell with warmth at the thought that she could tell that just by looking at the way the box was wrapped.  
There was a note tacked on, written in Scarlett’s painstaking handwriting.  
“Do not open till Christmas *morning*!”  
She put the box on her bedside table and drew the covers over herself. Setting her phone on the pillow next to her.  
Suddenly it buzzed.   
“Hey.” Scarlett’s soft sweet voice sluiced over her, like a cool hand on a fevered head.  
“Hey yourself,” she answered, glad Scarlett couldn’t see the big goofy smile she was now wearing.  
“Did you get my little package?”  
“Looking at it right now.”  
“Why don’t you open it?”  
“Really? But you asked me to wait till the morning.”  
“Well, I wanted you to wait for me.”  
Juliette sat up and pulled the little box into her lap. She curled one of the ribbon ends around her finger and thought of the way Scarlett’s hair felt between her fingers.  
“Go on,” Scarlett urged.  
Juliette carefully took off the wrapping paper and opened the little antique jewelry box.  
It was a necklace, a small star pendant on a delicate chain, an intricate pattern across its face laid out in diamonds.  
“Scarlett…”  
“Read the back.”  
Juliette flipped the pendant over in her palm, and brought it closer to the bedside lamp.  
‘To my love, so bright a star she makes me shine too.’  
There were so many things Juliette wanted to say, but the words all stuck in her throat.  
“I wish I was there,” Scarlett said, “if I was there I’d kiss that stunned look off your face and put it on you. Do up the clasp at the nape of your neck and kiss you there too.”  
A shiver ran down Juliette’s back, as though she could feel Scarlett’s lips there.   
“I’d take every stitch off you and leave you with just the necklace. You’d look so beautiful. Gosh Jules, so beautiful.”  
Juliette’s fingers trembled, she waited breathlessly for Scarlett to continue.  
There was nothing but silence at the other end.  
Maybe she’d lost her reception again. She tried calling back but the line went straight to voicemail. She was just about to try again, suddenly desperate, when there was a knock at the door.  
She ignored it, but whoever it was persisted.   
Still clutching the necklace in her hand she threw on a robe and jerked the door open, ready to yell.  
Scarlett stood in the doorway in a trenchcoat and a Santa Claus hat. She was holding something up. Mistletoe.   
She laughed at Juliette’s stunned expression and quickly bustled her way in, locking the door behind her. She still held the mistletoe above them.  
She bent down to kiss Juliette.  
“You didn’t really think I’d let you spend Christmas all by your lonesome?” she whispered against Juliette’s lips, giggling as Juliette tried to touch so much of her at once that they ended up toppling onto the bed.   
“What are you doing here? You’re in Connecticut!”  
“I got off the stage and onto the jet. I have to go back tomorrow.”  
Scarlett flushed, looking up at Juliette and brushing a few strands of hair off her forehead and kissing her there. She took the necklace from Juliette’s hand and put it in its place around Juliette’s neck.  
“Everyone should be at home for Christmas.” Scarlett said. “So I brought us home.”  
“Scar, we’re in a hotel in Los Angeles.”  
Scarlett kissed her, deep and long and sweet, and traced the outline of the star pendant against Juliette’s skin.  
“You’re my home now,” she said, and Juliette’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re my home, and I’m yours, and we’re home now.”


End file.
